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Congratulations to Westminster City School’s Sixth Form students, Barney, Joshua, Daniel and Adeshola who made it to final four, who will receive scholarships from Polar Capital, a UK-based, client-focused, fund management business.

On Tuesday 12 November, the final four candidates were invited to Polar Capital for their interviews. Students were given the chance to hear from staff in different departments at Polar Capital about their career journey and life at Polar Capital.

Yer 13 student Barney, who is amongst the final four, shared his experience, saying:

"I really enjoyed the interview. It was 2 hours overall which sounded daunting initially, however the interesting conversations I had with the staff members at Polar Capital allowed for time to go by extremely quickly. I feel so grateful to Polar Capital and Westminster City School for creating this scheme.

“It means so much to have a vote of confidence from a highly reputable firm such as Polar Capital – this experience will not only provide a stronger foundation to me, but also to my family. I'm excited to see how my relationship with Polar Capital progresses and the opportunities I will be exposed to.

“I applied to the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme because the opportunity to network with professionals in the field of fund management and receive their help with my university tuition will I believe help put me in good stead for the beginning of my career."

Year 13 student Joshua, added:

“Being one of the final 4 is truly a humbling experience. The fact that I am the first member in my family to have a scholarship is something I hold dear to my heart. After months of self affirmation and holding myself to a certain calibre, I grateful to be where I am today, especially as a young black male.

“The reason why I decided to apply for the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme is because I knew that it was an opportunity not to be missed. I have learnt that applying yourself to several opportunities increases your chances of exposure and success – which moved me to ensure that I was equipped to complete my application for the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme.”

Adeshola, who is also in Year 13, said:

“I applied to the PCAS scheme as growing up in a low-income household made me privy to the problems that can occur without financial stability, and I wanted to be able to start building my future immediately rather than having my progress impeded by the graduate tax.

“The interview process was quite nerve racking initially, but I was able to be open about the circumstances that have made me the person I am and find some common ground with the interviewers, thus making it more comfortable as time went along.

“Being one of the final 4 fills me with a great sense of pride and I hope to use this opportunity to advance educational funding for others in the future by inspiring others to enter fields where women and minority ethnic groups are underrepresented, and hopefully sponsor other students to pursue their passion.”

Daniel, who is also one of the final four, said:

“I am so excited to be given the opportunity to continue my academia within geography and hopefully carry out research within the field after my degree. As an external Year 12 student, I would have never imagined getting this far in the application process, and I feel that without the scholarship, mentorship, and support from Polar Capital, university would be far less accessible than it seems as of now.

“The interview at Polar Capital gave me insight on the different journeys into finance but also the chance to connect my personal story to other journeys. I would give the advice to any future applicants to see it as a conversation rather than a daunting experience, as I personally found it exciting once I was in the depths of the conversation.

“I applied for the Polar Capital Aspire Scheme because the thought of being able to graduate debt-free, as well as the chance to fully engage in university life without financial barriers really enticed me. Being the first generation to submit a university application and having the opportunity to not accrue debt really reassured my decision.

“I am incredibly grateful to my family for encouraging and supporting my application along the way; the mock interviews paid off!”